


communication breakdown

by littleleotas



Series: translatorless [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, is it voice kink if it's rated g, translator malfunction, we just don't know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 21:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9844943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleleotas/pseuds/littleleotas
Summary: Garrus and Shepard are stranded together and their translators stop working. Prompt filled for thefloatingstone on Tumblr.





	

“Cortez!”

Shepard winced as loud static crackled through her radio.

“Cortez?”

More static. She switched frequencies.

“Joker?”

At least this time the static was slightly quieter: a muffled buzz rather than shrill crackle. She sighed, lowering her hand.

“Damn. Guess we’re stuck for a…bit…” She trailed off as she turned to Garrus and found him looking at her with a confused look on his face. “Garrus?”

An incomprehensible string of sounds came out of his mouth and Shepard’s eyes widened.

“Uh. Did my translator glitch?”

Garrus blinked, and made more incomprehensible noises.

“Huh.”

Shepard looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. She couldn’t see the Normandy, but she hadn’t really expected to. Cortez had dropped them on this planet to make quick repairs to an Alliance communications array, and the damage to the array had caused a lot of feedback when the Normandy got too close. She wondered if “fixing” the array had actually broken all communications down. Not a good sign.

She looked back at Garrus and giggled at the utter bewilderment on his face. She gestured to an indent in a cliff face nearby, and they took shelter underneath it.

Shepard sighed, sliding down with her back against the wall. Garrus sat down gingerly across from her, groaning a bit. She took a sip from her water bottle, then offered it to him. He waved it away, grimacing. She cocked her head questioningly. He sighed and took the bottle from her, gulping it down.

“Are you…” Shepard gestured vaguely at Garrus’s entire body, “…okay?”

Garrus leaned forward a bit, pointing to his lower back.

She nodded, biting her lip with concern. She got up to her knees and Garrus looked up at her. She gestured to his back and he frowned, leaning forward a little.

She started rubbing his back where he’d pointed to, and he groaned again. Shepard gasped slightly and pulled her hands back. Garrus hummed, and reached behind him to take her hands and put them on his back, a little lower than where they’d been before.

Shepard began rubbing his back again, and continued for a little while. The wind shifted the sands outside the cave gently, and the hum of the communications array outside was the only other sound to be heard.

Garrus reached back and took her hand.

“Oh,” she said. “Feeling better?”

He hummed, his subvocals buzzing, as he pulled her forward and she fell into his lap.

 _“Oh,”_ she said, laughing.

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, pulling herself as close to him as she could. Garrus slid his hands around her waist and gently pushed the edges of her shirt up.

She hummed into his mouth and kept kissing him as she moved her hands to the seals on his armour.

Suddenly, the buzzing static in her ear began again.

“-Shepard?”

She could just make out Steve’s voice on the radio. She continued fumbling at Garrus’s armour as they kissed.

“Shepard?”

“No,” she mumbled.

“Shepard, I can see you.”

Garrus and Shepard broke apart suddenly, eyes quickly opening wide.

Shepard turned around to see Steve approaching them. She cleared her throat.

“Cortez. Good to see you.”

“Sorry to interrupt, ma’am. I think fixing the array knocked out comms for a little while but we appear to be back online. I came looking for you after we couldn’t raise you on the comms.”

“Uh huh,” she said, smoothing her shirt back down.

Steve cleared his throat. “Um, should I come back?”

Shepard glanced back at Garrus, smirking. “No, I think we can pick up where we left off on the ship.”

“Didn’t need that info, ma’am. Shuttle’s half a click away.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” said Garrus.

Shepard whirled her head around. “The translator’s working!”

“Has been for a few minutes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, frowning.

“Thought we’d try silence for a change.”

Shepard smacked the back of Garrus’s head.

“Ow. I didn’t say it was a welcome change.”

“You’ll pay for that,” she said, pushing herself out of his lap and standing up.

He stood up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist, and whispered in her ear, “Promises, promises.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr at ridethecricket if you want to come say hi! I'm also considering writing more translator-less Garrus/Shepard so stay tuned if that interests you.


End file.
